The consumption of acidic food and beverages often results in physical discomfort in the form of indigestion and heartburn among other discomforts. Acidic beverages including coffees and teas are particularly troublesome because of their widespread consumption and elevated acid concentrations.
Coffee is a morning ritual for over 125 million Americans, with the average coffee drinker consuming three cups of coffee per day. However, drinking coffee does not affect all people in the same way. While some are able to drink an entire pot of coffee without experiencing any adverse effects, others may experience indigestion and discomfort. In addition to discomfort, potential health risks associated with excessive coffee consumption in general, and with caffeine consumption in particular, have been theorized. At least one study has linked coffee consumption to osteoporosis. Pregnant mothers are often cautioned to limit their intake of coffee as a precaution to ensure the health and safety of their unborn children. It is not well understood what the effects of coffee acids may be on the health of the general population, but at a minimum acidic coffee causes discomfort for many people with digestive tract disorders, such as acid reflux or ulcers.
Coffee is a complex composition derived from the brewing of roasted and ground coffee beans. The constituents of coffee beans include caffeine (1-2%), coffee oil (10-15%), sucrose and other sugars (about 8%), proteins (about 11%), ash (about 5%), and chlorogenic and caffeic acids (about 6%). Other constituents include cellulose, hemicelluloses, trigonelline, carbohydrates, volatile oils, and other acids. The composition of a particular coffee is variable and depends upon such factors as the type of bean, where the coffee is grown and harvested, and how the beans are processed. It is the individual constituents of a coffee that contribute to its natural aroma, flavor, and appeal.
Many different acidic constituents are present in coffee. Coffee's acids include malic acid, tannic acid, maleic acid, oleic acid, oxalic acid, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid, among others. These acidic constituents are responsible for the overall acidity of coffee and the discomfort that occasionally arises from the ingestion of this acidic beverage. Furthermore, coffee contains caffeine, which, upon ingestion, causes the gastric secretion of acids. Accordingly, coffee drinking not only results in the ingestion of an acidic beverage, but also stimulates the production of additional acids.
Commonly, the coffee drinker's solution to discomfort arising from coffee's acidity is to either reduce the number of cups of coffee consumed each day, avoid drinking coffee entirely, or alternatively, dilute the coffee, or accompany coffee drinking, with dairy products such as milk or cream. Unfortunately, the use of dairy products as a solution to the problem of coffee acidity is not universal. Many people, including some coffee drinkers, suffer from lactose intolerance and have difficulty in digesting milk sugars. For these individuals, the problem of coffee acidity is not solved by the addition of milk products to coffee.
The problem of reducing the acidity of certain foods and beverages has been previously addressed. For example, a process for decreasing the malic acid content in wines involving the treatment of wine with a composition including calcium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, and calcium tartrate has been described. U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,778. A malolactic fermentation process that provides a coffee product having reduced malic acid content has also been described. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,976,983 and 5,147,666. A common practice in red wine production involves treating the wine with gelatin which selectively neutralizes tannic acid.
Alkaline treatments have been used in the production of coffee products. For example, in the preparation of instant coffee, coffee extracts have been treated with alkaline materials including ammonia, alkali metal and alkaline earth metal hydroxides, carbonates, and bicarbonates to improve the yield of soluble solids. U.S. Pat. No. 3,644,122. Similarly, alkaline molecular sieves have been employed in a process for improving yield in secondary coffee extracts in the production of soluble coffee. U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,155. A process for preparing a better tasting coffee involving an intermediate step of treating partially roasted coffee beans with an aqueous alkaline solution of a foodgrade base, such as sodium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, or ammonium bicarbonate, prior to final roasting is also known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,271.
In some cultures, roasted and ground coffee is customarily brewed together with egg and eggshells. Presumably, this treatment reduces the acidity of the resulting brewed coffee. W. Ukers, Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, 1935. To bring out the fill flavor and strength of coffee, a coffee composition comprising a roasted coffee bean coated with alkali such as borax or bicarbonate of soda has been disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 312,516. Today, borax is considered unsafe for human consumption, and the ingestion of sodium is often considered inadvisable for individuals on low sodium diets. An alkaline substance, lithium carbonate, has been utilized as a preserving agent for roasted and ground coffee. U.S. Pat. No. 2,419,031. A process for making coffee more digestible by raising its pH by the addition of an acid binding substance is also known. U.S. Pat. No. 2,036,345. In this process, the acid binding substance is a basic or alkaline material noninjurious to health and includes alkaline earth metal oxides, hydroxides, carbonates, and bicarbonates as well as alkali metal carbonates, bicarbonates, and alkaline phosphates. In a preferred embodiment, the acid binding substance includes trisodium phosphate and potassium bromide. Today, neither of these two ingredients is considered by the Food and Drug Administration to be Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS).
Accordingly, despite the methods and compositions for treating coffee mentioned above, there remains a need in the art for a composition and method for reducing the acidity of foods and beverages, such as coffee, that are safe for a broad segment of the population, economical, and easy to use. The present invention addresses these needs and provides further related advantages.